Why War

A reminder of some basic facts about the present war.

Lest we forget why we have been fighting the al Qaeda terrorists and are now ready to invade Iraq, we should remember some basic facts about the present war.

What is its immediate cause?

About a year and a half ago, Middle Eastern terrorists -- at a time of peace and without provocation -- simply murdered 3,000 Americans. They blew up four airliners together with their crews and passengers, toppled the World Trade Center, and attacked the Pentagon. In addition, they caused billions of dollars in damage to the American economy, threw millions out of work, and forever changed the daily lives of an entire country and of much of the world besides.

Why did they attack us in such a manner?

Our enemies struck at icons of American economic and military power and used terror in lieu of conventional weapons and tactics. Knowing they could not defeat the United States military or appeal for support to the American people, they thought to create a climate of horror and fear to further their own political agendas. Perhaps we were supposed to quietly withdraw our troops from the Middle East, insist on concessions for Yasser Arafat, and grant de facto spheres of influence to al Qaeda, Hezbollah, Hamas, and other terrorist groups. Yet just as the fundamentalists gave us no thanks for saving Muslims in Kosovo, Bosnia, Kuwait, and Somalia, so too they would have looked at such dispensation as decadent compassion and been emboldened rather than appreciative.

But who exactly are our enemies?

Without at least tacit support from civilians, the terrorists could not exist.

The hard-core group of Islamic fascists, known as al-Qaeda, involves perhaps no more than 10,000 or 20,000 loosely coordinated killers. But like the Italian fascists, German Nazis, and Japanese militarists, their largely pampered leaders hope to capitalize on latent anger against the West among Islamic populations at large -- to bully, threaten, or hijack weak regimes in the Middle East to obtain de facto political power. Post-9/11 cheering on the West Bank or amused smiles in the salons of Beirut and Cairo were seen as initial successes. Without at least tacit support from civilians, the terrorists could not exist.

What do they really want?

It is hard to tell, inasmuch as their grandiose schemes are as illogical as Hitler's -- but no less dangerous. But if we take them at their word, their Middle East would look something like the Taliban's Afghanistan or the mullahs' Iran -- a vast tribal, patriarchal, and theocratic society on a continental scale. It would be run by zealots and religious extremists who would institute a medieval sort of Islamic law, even as the leaders themselves, like Ottoman grandees of old, would continue to be parasitic on the West -- importing their own eyeglasses, medicines, videos, and electronic technology. Politically, they would hope to expand on the model of Iranian theocracy and terror, using vast oil revenues to buy missiles and eventually components for nuclear weapons -- first to obliterate Israel, then to either blackmail or attack us. The ultimate goals of demented thugs like a Mullah Omar or bin Laden are, of course, contradictory and absurd -- how can one hate and wish to destroy the West, when it is the only source of everything one uses -- from oil-drilling equipment and SUVs to machine guns and cell phones? So they are a lot like the Visigoths and Vandals who liked the appurtenances of Rome yet on their own accord could not create, but only ransack them. Take a look at present-day Iran and recent Afghanistan to ponder the ruin and barbarity that their rule could bring to hundreds of millions in just a few years.

Do they have any support?

Criminals like these at first never have real support. But if, like a Hitler or Mussolini, they demonstrate success in stirring up resentments and winning concessions from supposedly weak enemies, then they can win over the masses through their ardor and ?lan. Most people usually welcome a sense of increased national importance and pride on the cheap -- as long as it does not entail real costs. So al Qaeda is like the Nazi party circa 1926, in a high-stakes game for the hearts and minds of the so-called Arab street, which so far likes the rhetoric but is not yet sure of the eventual price tag. Blowing up Jewish kids in schools or shooting a few unarmed Americans is easy and plays well, but being barred from traveling to Europe or America, earning ostracism from the World Bank, and having your entire military obliterated in mere hours -- all that and more requires some careful consideration. Wearing a bin Laden T-shirt or bragging that Saddam Hussein stands up to a strong America afraid to use its power is one thing; seeing GPS bombs glide through the windows of mansions in Lebanon and Syria is another.

But why would any in the Middle East follow such a pitiful band of cutthroats?

Fear, for starters -- the terrorists can murder newspaper editors, government officials, or military officers who oppose them. Despair plays a role too among the Arab dispossessed. Over 300 million in the Middle East live under regimes that are corrupt and tribal, dysfunctional autocracies without elections or the rule of law. With rising populations and failing economies, despots can only defer reform by using their state-run presses to vent tension against those more successful, such as Israel and the West. Hating the Jews is old stuff for the weak and envious, and so apparently is despising the country that gives you Star Wars, 757s, and vaccinations. A mass, crybaby adolescence has infected the Middle East. At first this pathetic, passive-aggressive view of the West intrigued Americans, then it disturbed them; but now it has become not merely tedious, but downright repellent to us. There are root causes for the spread of terror, but they are entirely self-induced.

So who are we really at war with?

We fight first the terrorist nucleus, and so must hunt all of them down in a global chase where there is little quarter asked for or given. Further, radical regimes that in the past have harbored terrorists, stockpiled frightening weapons, and are either openly or covertly aiding al Qaeda must be confronted to change or be vanquished. In the past where would an Abu Nidal or Abu Abbas have gone without a haven in Syria, Libya, or Iraq?

Who is winning?

It is not even close so far. After little more than a year, and at a cost of fewer than 100 American casualties, al Qaeda is about half ruined. The Taliban is gone. Iraq is terrified. And equally awful regimes like those in Syria, Iran, and Libya are apprehensive precisely because they know they are guilty of spreading murder and mayhem against Western innocents. We know where the terrorists thrive -- in outlaw states like an Afghanistan, Somalia, or Sudan, theocracies like Iran, or dictatorships like Iraq. When those regimes are either gone or reformed, the world of our enemies shrinks.

Could we lose?

Militarily, no. Their only hope is to frighten or demoralize us to such a degree that in our wealth and leisure we feel too afraid, smug, or distracted to take them seriously. So far only about 10 percent of Americans -- naively hoping that compromises could guarantee our security -- would throw in the towel, withdraw, hand over a sixth of the world to them, and thus grant them the power to do the greater evil that they wish.

How will we know when the war is over?

When Europeans and Americans are no longer rounding up terrorists in their countries, when mullahs and sheiks are quite afraid to broadcast calls to kill Americans, and when so-called allies volunteer their help without our own bribes and coercion. I might add, also, when an American diplomat, without qualification or embarrassment, says publicly that he has nothing but support for Israelis who hunt down killers and terrorists. In other words, we will win when a sense of deterrence -- lost during the last decades -- is reestablished, one that sends the message to our would-be enemies that the killing of Americans is synonymous with their own near-instantaneous destruction. The Nazis and the Japanese militarists alike came to realize the Americans were not necessarily pacifistic and malleable people, but rather scary and unpredictable; al Qaeda's supporters must come to the same conclusion.

But won't they just attack us again and again?

War is tragically endemic to the human condition. We can only do our best in our own time as befitting our station and pass on our lessons to the next generation -- even though we sometimes forget such precepts ourselves. Just as the collapse of the Soviet Union created an entirely new climate in eastern Europe, so too the defeat of al Qaeda, the new government in Afghanistan, and a post-Hussein Iraq will send a powerful message to the lunocracies of the Middle East: join the world of democracy, freedom, law, and prosperity -- or perish trying to destroy it.

The opinions expressed in the comment section are the personal views of the commenters. Comments are moderated, so please keep it civil.

Visitor Comments: 7

(7)
Jeff Pomykala,
January 3, 2003 12:00 AM

Ecclesiastes.....To Everything there is a season.

In reply to Kelly's comment:
The narrow-mindedness comes from the people who think war is "never right". And while you might not think that protesting the war is different from supporting the terrorists than YOU are the one who "doesn't get it"...because the terrorists certainly are happy to see you protesting the war and dividing the nation more further than any of their bombs ever could. It is inhumane to sit back and let murderers get away with their terrorism. The 10% against war now are the same small percentage of blind populous that were against going to war in WW2. Was that a "just" war?? If ever there was a war that was "good against evil" THAT was one of those times. You say "what about SHALOM??" Well, I respond -- What about Ecclesiastes ch.3 ...To EVERYTHING there is a season...(v3)A time to Kill and a time to heal....(v8)"A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of WAR, and a time of peace." ~ While YOU might not believe G-d (That ol' war-mongerer!) when He tells us there is a time for war, I do...because he knows of the reality of human nature MUCH better than I (or YOU) ever will. I believe this to be one of those times of war for very good, educated, reasonable reasons. We have been attacked!! Kelly, while intellectual dialogue with murderers can be enlightening for them, if they will not listen then what is the use of having an educated dialogue while they are busy trying to slit your throat to silence you?? I would rather be considered unimaginative, than to blindly "imagine" some pipe-dream, pie-in-the-sky ideal that somehow, if we just give them everything they demand, then all will be well with the world.
While certainly we must look for ways to bring about peace, it is the foolish who think that war is never right....and sometimes FIGHTING BACK is the only way to bring about a quicker peace. Kelly, you are correct, sort of, in that if we didn't fight back there could be "peace" in Israel. If Israel didn't fight back in 1942 (and all the other times we were attacked there!@), there would be NO jews in Israel right now to fight back, so, yes, there would then be "peace" in Israel....but what kind of "peace" and at what cost?
I 100% agree with you and pray right along side you, my sister, for the peace of Israel and the world, but, as a man I will also gather the stones needed to defend your right to exist without having to worry that someone with a grudge decides to blow you up while you're out shopping with your children. The time for healing and peace WILL come again....but for now, the time is for war. They (the terrorists) have made this time of war. It is the men (and woman) of character who stand up against them to ensure your life that will bring about peace...by kicking the butt of those terrorists until they are defeated and ready to listen to your words of enlightenment and peace.

May there be TRUE PEACE in Israel....soon.

(6)
Kelly,
January 2, 2003 12:00 AM

What about SHALOM?!?!

Surely we are doomed if Jews have given up on the ideal of Shalom. I've read the warmongers' comments and I am reeling with sadness for people who have lost their humanity...
You are incapable of understanding the 10% if you think they are backing the terrorists-- they are seeking real solutions, nor prolonged violence. It is the narrowminded, uneducated, and unimaginative among us who view war as inevitable or right.
Pray for the PEACE of Jerusalem & the world.

(5)
Anonymous,
December 31, 2002 12:00 AM

Are we winning?????

No No No. We are not winning. As long as the World Trade Center towers are not part of the new York Skyline, as long as we have to fear terror at airports and hear daily news stories of bombings and shootings all over the world and as long as Saudi Arabia holds us hostage for oil, we are not even close to winning.

The day after 9/11, President Bush requested that our children collect a dollar each for the children in Afganistan. That day I knew we were going on a loosing path. Further proof when we had the Saudi prince in New York to see the so called ground zero. We must face reality. The Moslem world is at war with us. Invade Saudi Arabia, seize the oil fields, arrest the crown prince, cut off the devil by the head and the rest of the terror organizations and states would get the message. USe of nuclear weapons by us on the hard core terror states should be considered. Enemies must be hit hard. We have to make sure they cannot ever consider hurting us again!

(4)
Pedro E, Gonzalez,
December 30, 2002 12:00 AM

Agreed

I think Jeofrey has it right. His is an adult approach of children fighting. I do not think it is easy though. No one wants his/her uncomfortability, but as Aish states comfort leads to pain. In this case, the liberal approach would only lead Freedom, Law and Democracy to the painful sight of Women, Children and everybody being ripped off by terrorist boms as long as that liberal keeps on trying to make every body to sink their heads into the ground.

(3)
Anonymous,
December 30, 2002 12:00 AM

I agree with virtually all parts of the article. Only the statement that since war is endemic, terrorism cannot be eliminated. Cut off the head, and make the terroristsfearful and you end the war.copy would notseparate the words.

(2)
Jeffrey A. Pomykala,
December 30, 2002 12:00 AM

Like little children......

I feel the biggest problem here in America is convincing the 10% mentioned in the article who somehow feel that appeasement is the way to respond to terrorism ((and who "rally for peace" and say ignorant, paradoxical things like "There is never any excuse for war!", all the while giving credence to the terrorists "reasons" for war!!)), that instead we need to FIGHT@!. This 10% are the "bleeding-heart" liberals who try to "understand" why the terrorists are doing what they do, and who naively believe that the terrorists have a legitimate "right" to kill innocent people due to a percieved injustice.
Let me try to put things into perspective for you if you are one of those extremist blind liberals ~~
Think back to when you were a child and encountered the neigborhood bully. Appeasing him would never work because any appeasement is seen as your being weak. "Understanding" him, that it is due to the way he was raised, would not help when he came over to steal your lunch money....and giving him YOUR lunch money, as appeasement because he comes from a "poor" family and has been mistaught by his "parents" wouldn't matter to him -- Quite simply, he HATES you and wants to take what is yours. The ONLY way to stop that child bully is to FIGHT BACK and beat the crap out of him until he learns that he can NO LONGER beat you and steal what is yours!!! THIS IS HUMAN NATURE!! Logic and reason do not work with a human acting as a beast!...until that "animal" is beaten into submission and is then ready to listen to your logic and reason, no amount of "understanding" and appeasement will work!! This is pure human nature and fact. To do anything but fight back (as hard as that truth is to face up to and perform) is to allow the bully to think he has "won" ~ which will only enbolden him to beat you up for more.
While adults THINK we are different then children, in reality, all that we are is really OLDER CHILDREN!~~ I, for one, am fed up with the liberal children who want to understand and appease the bully (and enbolden him to attack us more!). I, for one, am ready to make a stand against that bully AND KICK HIS BUTT until he cries "Uncle!" and STOPS his whining and tantrums ((ESPECIALLY when the whining and tantrums are BOMBS aimed at women and children...and YOU! you idiotic, ignorant liberal!!)). When the bully is ready to sit at the table of humanity and partake in the successes of mankind, THEN will I stop fighting back at him and treat him as a human being.
Do you truly want Peace and Freedom for all?? Then you must be willing to FIGHT BACK and, if necessary, die to preserve it. A bully WILL NOT STOP until he has been beaten. He HAS to be shown that all the lies of hatred and bigotry taught to him by his parents were WRONG! Appeasing him only proves to him that they were right (that you are a weak, stupid fool and what is yours should be theirs!!)...and he will continue in his hatred of you and wanting more of what is rightfully yours.
THAT is real truth, my brothers and sisters!

(1)
Anonymous,
December 29, 2002 12:00 AM

How long has Islam been against the Jews

It seems to me that almost no one is being realistic about how long that Islam has been against the Jewish people. I feel that jihad against the Jews was from the time of Mohammed. Am I wrong? From the way that I see it, I would not allow a mosque to stand
anywhere. I feel that a mosque is dedicated to more of the same. I may be nuts, but this is how I see it.

This year during Chanukah I will be on a wilderness survival trip, and it will be very difficult to properly celebrate the holiday. I certainty won't be able to bring along a Menorah.

So if I am going to celebrate only one day of Chanukah, which is the most significant?

The Aish Rabbi Replies:

If a person can only celebrate one day of Chanukah, he should celebrate the first day.

This is similar to a case where a person is in prison, and the authorities agree to permit him to go to synagogue one day. The law is that he should go at the first opportunity, and not wait for a more important day like the High Holidays.

The reason is because one should not allow the opportunity of a mitzvah to pass. Moreover, it is quite conceivable that circumstances will later change and allow for additional observance. Therefore, we do not let the first chance pass. (Sources: Code of Jewish Law OC 90, Mishnah Berurah 28.)

As an important aside, Chanukah candles must be lit in (or at the entrance to) a home rather than out of doors. Thus, you should not light in actual "wilderness," but only after you've pitched your tent for the night.

There may be another reason why the first night is the one to focus on. Chanukah is celebrated for eight days to commemorate the one-day supply of oil that miraculously burned for eight days. But if you think about it, since there was enough oil to burn naturally for one night, nothing miraculous happened on that first night! So why shouldn't Chanukah be just seven days?!

There are many wonderful answers given to this question, highlighting the special aspect of the first day. Here are a few:

1) True, the miracle of the oil did not begin until the second day, and lasted for only seven days. But the Sages designated the first day of Chanukah in commemoration of the miraculous military victory.

2) Having returned to the Temple and found it in shambles, the Jews had no logical reason to think they would find any pure oil. The fact that the Maccabees didn't give up hope, and then actually found any pure oil at all, is in itself a miracle.

3) The Sages chose Chanukah, a festival that revolves around oil's ability to burn, as the time to teach the fundamental truth that even so-called "natural" events take place only because God wants them to.

The Talmudic Sage Rabbi Chanina Ben Dosa expressed this truth in explaining a miracle that occurred in his own home. Once, his daughter realized that she had lit the Shabbos candles with vinegar instead of oil. Rabbi Chanina calmed her, saying, "Why are you concerned! The One Who commanded oil to burn, can also command vinegar to burn!" The Talmud goes on to say that those Shabbos lights burned bright for many hours (Taanit 25a).

To drive this truth home, the Sages decreed that Chanukah be observed for eight days: The last seven to commemorate the miracle of the Menorah, and the first to remind us that even the “normal” burning of oil is only in obedience to God's wish.

In closing, I'm not sure what's stopping you from celebrating more than one day? At a minimum, you can light one candle sometime during the evening, and that fulfills the mitzvah of Chanukah - no “official Menorah” necessary. With so much joy to be had, why limit yourself to one night only?!

In 165 BCE, the Maccabees defeated the Greek army and rededicated the Holy Temple in Jerusalem. Finding only one jar of pure oil, they lit the Menorah, which miraculously burned for eight days. Also on this day -- 1,100 years earlier -- Moses and the Jewish people completed construction of the Tabernacle, the portable sanctuary that accompanied them during 40 years of wandering in the desert. The Tabernacle was not dedicated, however, for another three months; tradition says that the day of Kislev 25 was then "compensated" centuries later -- when the miracle of Chanukah occurred and the Temple was rededicated. Today, Jews around the world light a Chanukah menorah, to commemorate the miracle of the oil, and its message that continues to illuminate our lives today.

A person who utilizes suffering to arouse himself in spiritual matters will find consolation. He will recognize that even though the suffering was difficult for him, it nevertheless helped him for eternity.

When you see yourself growing spiritually through your suffering, you will even be able to feel joy because of that suffering.

They established these eight days of Chanukah to give thanks and praise to Your great Name(Siddur).

Jewish history is replete with miracles that transcend the miracle of the Menorah. Why is the latter so prominently celebrated while the others are relegated to relative obscurity?

Perhaps the reason is that most other miracles were Divinely initiated; i.e. God intervened to suspend the laws of nature in order to save His people from calamity.

The miracle of the Menorah was something different. Having defeated the Seleucid Greek invaders, the triumphant Jews entered the Sanctuary. There they found that they could light the Menorah for only one day, due to a lack of undefiled oil. Further, they had no chance of replenishing the supply for eight days. They did light the Menorah anyway, reasoning that it was best to do what was within their ability to do and to postpone worrying about the next day until such worry was appropriate. This decision elicited a Divine response and the Menorah stayed lit for that day and for seven more.

This miracle was thus initiated by the Jews themselves, and the incident was set down as a teaching for all future generations: concentrate your efforts on what you can do, and do it! Leave the rest to God.

While even our best and most sincere efforts do not necessarily bring about miracles, the teaching is nevertheless valid. Even the likelihood of failure in the future should not discourage us from any constructive action that we can take now.

Today I shall...

focus my attention on what it is that I can do now, and do it to the best of my ability.

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